The Hammer Falls

A storm of bolter shells were loosed, igniting the air around them. Brother Loxas aimed a krak missile at the first Chimera surging towards the hill. The missile struck the left track, tearing up the muddy ground. Bolter rounds ripped through the lightly armoured vehicles, stalling two more, smoke rising from their damaged engines. The carriers behind just pushed on, smashing the burning hulks aside as the fleet continued to rush the hill. The bulk of the Chimeras began diverting around ridge. The Space Marines poured bolter fire into them as they passed.

The Imperial Guard responded with torrents of lasgun and multilaser fire, firing from the open topped cargo sections.. A single lasgun shot was little to worry about, but what the Guard lacked in quality, they made up for in numbers. The sheer volume of fire as the fleet swept past forced Cyrus and the marines to duck into cover to avoid death by pinpricks. Lying face down in the dirt, Cyrus' vox communicator began to blip. The channels were open again.

"Captain, this is Initiate Vaenor! Arreth is on the transport as you demanded, and I am returning to your position as quickly as I can! Sir, the Monastery is in chaos! The techmarines are working on returning communications, but only for short bursts! 2nd Company is trying to hold off... stormtro... being overrun!"

Static began to drone out Vaenor's voice, leaving Cyrus no time to respond. The Marines were struggling back to their feet, intent on meeting the next wave of transports. Dozens of carriers had parked, and hordes of guardsmen, clad in green flak jackets, were swarming out of their transports, and making a push for the hill. Cyrus motioned to Denmor, who let loose with his Heavy Bolter, pelting the mass of soldiers with sustained fire. Cyrus continued to target the Commissars and officers, leaving his Brothers to deal with the rest. Guardsmen were charging their lines, soaking up bolter rounds like a sponge. The dead were everywhere, but the Guard's sheer numbers were enough to gain a foothold. The Hammer of the Emperor indeed, thought Cyrus.

The air was tinged with the smell of ozone created by the massive discharging of Lasgun fire. The marines kept firing. Bolters fired, flamers spewed holy promethium, and Breanor's Meltagun flash fried dozens of soldiers with a single shot. Yet still the guard pushed against them. Below, one aggressive Chimera driver revved the engine of his vehicle, and shot towards the hill.

Brother Alexis' servos began to groan. As the Chimera sped ever closer, the great Dreadnought began to march steadily towards the edge of the ridge. A deep rumbling voice was augmented with the volume of electronic speakers. Alexis leveled his power claws, presenting himself to the foolish driver. "In the name of the Emperor... YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

A huge power fist lashed out, struck the frontal armour of the Chimera, and lodged there. Alexis spun his metallic fist upwards, using the momentum of the vehicle to his advantage, propelling the Chimera over his shoulder and into the ground behind him with a sickening thud. The strain on his metallic limb as the Dreadnought tried to maintain its balance proved too much, snapping the arm off like a twig. Not that this deterred Alexis in the slightest. Quickly turning around, the Dreadnought stomped towards the overturned Chimera, igniting it with his flamer before pounding it into the ground with his remaining power fist, unaffected by the screams of the dying men and women trapped inside.

The Guardsmen had a foothold on the hilltop. A Leman Russ had joined the battle, and they had gathered around the tank, using it as a base. The lasguns were no concern for the marines, but the tank's battle canon was cause for caution. Sergeant Kerax shouted out. "Loxas, Breanor, deploy anti vehicle ordinance! We will provide covering fire from here!"

The two marines nodded, and leapt down from the ridge into the horde of guardsmen. Shoulder charging a cluster of infantry, Breanor pushed a path through the enemy, his ceramite armour protecting him from the worst injuries. Loxas followed, shoving aside any guardsman foolish enough to put himself between him and his target. They didn't have long to live anyways. From the ridge, Cyrus and the rest of the marines continued to lay waste to the humans below, preventing any from following the two marines any closer.

"Set the Melta Bombs for a delayed explosion, then get out of there!" Cyrus called into his vox.

"Understood Captain, melta bombs away!" Breanor shouted.

The two Space Marines arrived planted themselves against the leman russ, staying outside the firing arc of its side sponsons. Taking the heavy explosives from his belt, Breanor clambered up the rear of the vehicle. The engine was covered by a thin layer of armour; compared to the hulking frontal defences, it was little more than a dust shield. Punching through the thin cover, Breanor lodged the explosives into the engine, and jumped off the side. "Charges set, Captain! Follow me Loxas!" The pair broke off at a run away from the huge tank, seconds away from destruction.

A deafening blast stuck with such force that Breanor and Loxas were thrown from their feet. The Leman Russ was a burning wreck, shrapnel falling in every direction. Breanor's armour was scarred and pockmarked from the blast, but it had kept most of the debris from piercing the black carapace. The lightly armoured Guardsmen around them were not so lucky. From his vantage point, Cyrus viewed the carnage. Hulks of metal had sheared a man's upper skull in half. Others had been ripped apart by the blast, and more still horribly maimed by the projectile shrapnel.

Behind Cyrus, Mieron shouted. "Now brothers, we shall strike while they are disoriented! For the Emperor and the Unknown Primarch!"

Mieron's five marines holstered their bolters, and drew their melee weapons. Mieron hefted a power axe over his head as he shouted out a battle cry and jumped down from the ledge, followed by Bron, Praxus, Jareth, Arevar and Karov, wielding chainswords and combat knives. Alexis descended from the hill, pushing into the melee..

Cyrus voxed Sergeant Kerax, "We will maintain covering fire. I want Loxas and Breanor with us as soon as possible. We need to cover this position as long as we can!"

"Yes Captain! Breanor, Loxas, up the ridge on the double!"

Breanor and Loxas scrambled up the side, covered by Kerax's remaining Marines. Down below, Mieron's squad was carving a path through the Imperial Guard. They fought like lions. Mieron's axe shone in through the clouds of dust, tearing limbs from bodies. A Commissar armed with a power fist managed to connect with Mieron's torso, knocking him backwards. Mieron responded by shrieking a vicious cry, grabbing the Commissar by the waste, and swiftly separating his head from the rest of his body with a single swing.

Chainswords flashed through the air. Jareth was swinging his combat knife wildly, fighting in tandem with Arevar and Praxus while Bron and Karov swung their mighty thunder hammers in wide arcs. The guard were fleeing left and right, but the suppressing fire from Cyrus' team on the ridge top prevented them from moving out of the killing field. The fighting lasted for mere minutes, but to each marine, the melee felt hours. The cycle of slashing, hacking, and chopping continued.

Eventually, the fighting died down, as the last few stragglers were shot, stabbed, or otherwise killed. Cyrus nodded to Kerax's squad. They left the ridge, meeting Mieron in the center of the battlefield. The marine's armour was soaked in blood, full of dents and cuts, but they had weathered the assault. Cyrus congratulated Mieron and his men. "Well fought Sergeant."

"Thank you captain, but we still have a duty to perform. What is our next move? The majority of the Guard bypassed our position, and we could not have stopped them had we tried."

"I agree, we should fall back to the Fortress," said Cyrus. "Hopefully, some other marines have made it back there already."

"Are communications back yet, Captain?" asked Praxus.

"Not yet, Brother," said Cyrus. " A few messages made it through, but the Techmarines haven't fully restored the communications network. The last I heard, it sounded like they had come under fire. I suggest we move quickly."

Kerax huffed. "This plan was foolish from the start. Who knows how many brothers we've lost already? Why did Hethforn ever put his faith in this plan?"

"Heading in that direction is the first step, Sergeant. We may find answers at the Monastery. Once we regroup with the others, we will try to sort out this mess. Denmor, you and I shall take point. Everyone else, skirmish line, we're moving out!"

"Aye!" shouted the Blood Ravens.

The Blood Ravens fell into line leaving behind the wrecked chimeras and burning bodies. Cyrus thought of Vaenor's vox message. The Imperial Guard had gotten behind their lines, and struck the Monastery itself.

I only hope we're not too late.

Despite the clouds of shrapnel being thrown into the air, Stubbs remained calm. Unflinchingly, he stood atop the observation platform adorning his mighty Baneblade as it trundled along across the scarred and pockmarked battlefield. Commissar Danalt stood by his side, and the two surveyed the burning landscape ahead of them.

The burning wrecks of several Leman Russ tanks and burned out Chimera hulls littered the ground, their fires still burning. Medic teams were rushing to extract those still alive from the wreckage, and to separate those fit to fight from the dead. If the grim scene had bothered Stubbs in any way, he did not show it.

"A fine beginning for the final push, wouldn't you say Commissar?" he said.

"Yes my lord, it is. I have the reports from the forward elements, should you wish to hear them."

"I always have time for my soldiers Danalt, show me the lists."

Stepping down from the observation deck into the bowels of the Baneblade, Stubbs and Danalt squeezed into the onboard communications center. A group of servitors and Vox communicators formed a ring around the tactical display in the center of the room. The machine's blue glow cast a faint light into the shadows of the rumbling tank, illuminating Stubbs and Danalt's faces. Lengths of paper scrolled out of the servitors, listing off casualties, troop locations, and supply information.

With a nod from Danalt, the Vox communicators hooked one of the servitors into the tactical display. After a brief setup, the image of the battlefield was replaced by scrolling lists of reports. Danalt pointed to one particular list.

"As you can see here, governor-general, we have taken several casualties, but our advance has been successful. The records place us at approximately twenty thousand casualties, fewer than eight thousand confirmed deaths."

Stubbs frowned, "A shame so many have died to prove our faith in the Emperor. What resistance have we been facing?"

"General, the Blood Ravens' main forces were in orbit. Our psykers jamming signals also affected their sensor equipment. When the Astartes drop pods launched, their guidance systems were affected, sending several off course. The Guard have encountered a number of smaller groups, but they are too scattered to form a cohesive defense."

"And the Stormtrooper detail? Are there any reports on their sabotage mission?"

Danalt shook his head. "None sir, we've received no confirmation of their actions."

Stubbs leaned over the table, staring at the lists, watching the names and serial tags of his soldiers roll by, new names continuously being added to the report. "What of our operations in the southern hemisphere? Have the Orks been dealt with? I'd rather not have them waiting to meet us when we're finished here."

Danalt addressed a second list. "Fairwind Division established a communications uplink with remnants from the Rolling Thunder Armour Division. Reports from General Bortan indicate that they have breached the Roklaw Mountains, and are pushing into the Orks outer holdings. Their current status places total troop strength at two hundred thousand, out of the three hundred thousand deployed. On the east, Emperor's Hammer has secured the capital at Monse, using the reclaimed Tau base on Orridune for orbital fire support. Casualties were minimal."

Stubbs appeared satisfied. "Very good Commissar, ensure we maintain communications with Bortan's forces. I feel we should inspire our forward soldiers. You know how I feel about wasting their lives testing enemy defenses."

"I know sir."

"We need to do something to inspire morale. Have the Baneblade Lance of Glory moved to the frontline. Her presence shall evoke pride in our soldiers, and at least caution in the Astartes. We shall bring up the rearguard. The navy shall arrive within a day. I intend to finish this before they get here. Those sailors lack the tact required to give a warrior an honourable death. I, however, do not. The Blood Ravens shall receive every respect I can provide upon their defeat."

Danalt bowed, and nodded to the vox officer. "As you command, General, so shall it be done."

Stubbs turned on the spot, his long overcoat trailing behind as he returned to the observation deck, leaving Danalt in the communications room. The comforting growl of the battle tank's engines served to calm the worried Commissar. He smiled.